The Insanity of the Sane

A Sermon Given By the Prophet On The Last Friday Of Sha’ban On The Reception Of The Month of Ramadhan

“O People ! Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah’s forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgment) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked …

“O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

“O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven. Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): “Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?”

The Prophet (s) replied: “Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water.” “One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the ‘Siraat’ … on the day that feet will slip … “One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgment …

“As for one who honors an orphan; Allah will honor him on the day of judgment, “And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgment. “As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him … “Who so ever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him … “Whoever performs an obligatory prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month. “And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure. “He who recites one verse of the Holy Quran will be given the rewards of reciting the whole Quran during other months. “O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytan (Satan) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.”

I haven’t blogged in a while. Well I have posted articles and stuff but not written anything in a long time. Thing is I can’t be bothered. Laziness man! Sometimes i think of something to write about but then i just think forget it, too much effort. Plus, i benefit more from posting useful stuff.

Anyway Ramadhan is coming (wOot!) I can’t wait. I’ve not yet decided if i am to give up blogging over Ramadhan, I think I will. We’ll see insha’Allah.

If I get to live through Ramadhan, i am determined to make the most of it. Not a second to be wasted! I have made a timetable, planning my day out so I can do as much Ibadah as possible. I recommend everyone to do the same. This is useful.

Some other good news is that i’m finally getting a Arabic dictionary. Been wanting one for ages, but here they cost a bomb so I was waiting for someone to get it for me from back home. I told my mum to tell my uncle to get it for me. Apparently he travelled all over Islamabad looking for Hans Wehr Dictionary (lol I feel a bit guilty) but couldn’t find it. So I gotta settle for some other one. Mum said it was written by some Lebanese dude. I pray that it is Al Mawrid which is meant to be the next best after Hans Wehr. Whatever it is, I don’t really care, just as long as I get a half decent dictionary =D

I wanna share with you a story and a poem that I am sure you have read (probably a million times over) but Subhan’Allah it’s so beautiful. You read about the stories of the Sahabah (ra) and you feel utter shame. The Ummah today compared to the Ummah of the past… they were everything and us? We are absolutely no-bodies.

May Allah raise the status of this Ummah, may He unite us under the banner of tawheed and grant us victory over the kuffar.

Bilal, the slave of Omaiyah bin Khalaf, was severely beaten by his master when the latter came to know of his conversion to Islam. Sometimes a rope was put around his neck and street boys were made to drag him through the streets and even across the hillocks of Makkah. At times he was subjected to prolonged deprivation of food and drink; at others he was bound up, made to lie down on the burning sand and under the crushing burden of heavy stones. Similar other measures were resorted to in order to force him to recant. All this proved in vain. He persisted in his belief in the Oneness of Allâh. Through the pain and torture, when he was beaten and hurt… one word did not leave his tongue, it was “أحد,أحد“. [ahad, ahad – meaning He is One, He is One]. On one such occasion, Abu Bakr was passing by; moved by pity, he purchased and emancipated him from slavery. Later when asked about how he endured the pain, Bilal replied, I mixed the sweetness of faith with the bitterness of torture, and the sweetness of faith erased all the bitterness of torture. May Allah make us amongst those who meet Bilal and his likes in the Jannah. Ameen.

‘O thou enwrapped one! Keep awake [in prayer] at night, all but a small part. Of half thereof or make it a little less than that, or add to it [at will]; and [during that time] recite the Quran calmly and distinctly, with thy mind attuned to its meaning’ (73:1-3).

This is what Allah Almighty said to His Prophet. And, naturally, the noble messenger complied with the command of His Lord by standing long hours at night, crying profusely in all humiliation.In the same manner, Allah ordered his beloved Prophet saws

‘And rise from thy sleep and pray during part of the night [as well], as a free offering from thee, and thy Sustainer may well raise thee to a glorious station [in the life to come]’ (17:79)

Accordingly, in the same manner that your standing at night in this world will be glorious and honoured so too will it be on the Day of Judgement.

Ramadan is the month of fasting and standing at night. The sweetest nights and most precious hours are when the fasting people stand in the darkness of night.

I said to the night, is there a secret in your depth?

Filled with conversation and unknown matters.

It said: I never throughout my life encountered finer words,

than the words of mybeloved in the early hours of the morning.

The nights of the fasting people are short because they are delightful. On the other extreme, the nights of the frivolous are long because they are unhealthy. The short ones are thus accompanied by extended concerns while the long ones contain momentary pleasures. Allah Almighty describes His righteous servants thus:

‘They would lie asleep during but a small part of the night’ (51:17).

And:

‘In the hours of early dawn they were found praying for forgiveness’ (51:18).

And:

‘Those who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning’ (3:17).

The sound of weeping used to be heard from among the Prophet’s companions, Migrants (Muhajirun) and Helpers (Ansars), whenever the darkness of night descended upon them. And, when day broke, they would become like bold and fearless lions. In other words they were like monks at night but when they met their enemies at day they were the bravest of the brave. The homes of the companions were, in fact, schools for training and the learning of how to recite the Quran. They became institutes of faith. Today the homes of many people have become barracks for music, vice, and refuges of perversion. May Allah save us from such evils.

When we lost the standing in prayer at night, our hearts became hard. Our tears dried up and our faith became weak. The Prophet said: ‘Whoever stands the nights of Ramadan in faith and consciousness, all the sins which he sent forth will be forgiven.’ Among the things that help one to stand at night in prayer is the calling to mind of the Momentous Day: when people will stand before the Lord of the worlds. The day when the graves will turn out their contents and all that were buried in bosoms will be revealed.

There are besides, other factors that help in standing at night. They include remembrance of the great reward and forgiveness of sins and wrong-doing. The righteous predecessors preoccupied themselves with standing at night. Among them were those who spent the nights bowing, prostrating themselves or standing before Allah. Among them were those who recited crying, who contemplated and hoped, and who were thankful and considerate. For why have you made your homes desolate places without any standing and praying at night? Why have you made it empty of Quranic recitations? Why have our homes complained because of the lack of prayers in them at night?

If nights set in, the hearts of the negligent sleep and the spirits of the playful die while the hearts of the believers come to life with wide awakened and fearful eyes. How can one who remembers the repose of the grave, the gathering of mankind and the decisive manifestation ever sleep? Surely no one ever expected that a generation of Muslims would spend their nights shamelessly in playing chess and listening to music. The Prophet said:

‘O servant of Allah do not be like such and such a person. He used to stand in prayer at nights and then he abandoned this practice.’

Ibn al-Qayyim rahmatullah alayh says in Zaad al-Ma’ad: “It is sought after to soften the heart and to increase one’s deep fear of Allah subhana wa ta’ala , and it is not for the sake of being heard or seen by the people.”

Making yourself weep earns less of a reward than actually weeping. However it is the way towards weeping, that is because the one who makes himself weep, is among those who strive hard and fight their souls, and take account of themselves, and endeavour to attain the pleasure of Allah azza wa jal. Allah subhana wa ta’ala says “And those who strive hard in Us [Allah’s cause] We will surely guide them to our paths.”[29:69]

So whoever strives to make his soul weep, then Allah subhana wa ta’ala will guide this person to sincere weeping and give him success in achieving it.

On the authority of Anas radi Allahu anhu who related that he heard rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say “O people weep, for if you cannot weep then make yourself weep. Indeed the inhabitants of the hellfire will weep until their tears pour down their cheeks, as if they were streams until the tears are used up and then blood will pour down, and the eyes will be covered with ulcers.”[hasan in Sahih at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb]

Reflect over the way Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ordered us to weep or to make ourselves weep.

On the authority of Ibn Abi Mulaykah who said “We were sitting with Abdallah ibn Amr radi Allahu anhu on a rock. He said, `Cry and if you cannot cry, then make yourself cry. If only you knew, you would pray until your back broke and cry until you lost your voice.’” [al-Hakim reported in marfu’ form and it is sahih, adh-Dhahabi states its authenticity, Ibn al-Mubarak reported it in mawquf form]

When I was a kid, my brother used to show me a ‘magic trick’. This is how it went.

Firstly he would catch a daddy long leg. Then he would tell us about his mystical powers of be able to keep a leg moving after having cut it off the poor thing. He would then go on to actually cutting off one of its legs (may Allah have mercy on him for doing so) and show it to us. And yup, you guessed, the leg would still be moving.

Me and my sister would sit there amazed, thinking my brother was so cool (and slightly psychotic – trust me tearing of insects legs was nothing compared to the other stuff he used to do!). Well that was back in the day, when I was a child, still yet to enter the realms of school and education (pfft).

Now though, I know that it has got nothing to do with magic, but simple biology. Let me explain… wait, I can’t! Well I can but it would make no sense. If only I listened in biology lessons, rather than staring at the clock hoping time would go faster.

Why am I writing about this? Well I have a daddy long leg hopping about on my ceiling. It’s massive! Before it was hanging off on two legs, and I thought it might drop on someone’s head – even though no one was standing underneath it. Actually no one else is in the room. Wait a sec, all has gone quiet, where’s it gone? It’s hanging off on two legs again, but it’s considerably closer to me. I think it might be getting ready to pounce on me, in revenge for my delight in seeing its great great granddad daddy long leg (?) having its legs ripped off.

After extensive research (a quick search on google) I have come to realise that the thing hanging off my bedroom ceiling is in fact a crane fly (Tipula oleraceae if you want to be clever). But us common folk just call em daddy long legs, along with every other insect that has long thin legs.

The virtues of fasting are great indeed, and one of the things reported in the saheeh ahaadeeth is that Allaah has chosen fasting for Himself, and He will reward it and multiply the reward without measure, as He says [in the hadeeth qudsi]: “Except for fasting which is only for My sake, and I will reward him for it.” (al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 1904; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/407). Fasting has no equal (al-Nisaa’i, 4/165; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/413), and the du’aa’ of the fasting person will not be refused (reported by al-Bayhaqi, 3/345; al-Silsilat al-Saheeh, 1797). The fasting person has two moments of joy: one when he breaks his fast and one when he meets his Lord and rejoices over his fasting (reported by Muslim, 2/807). Fasting will intercede for a person on the Day of Judgement, and will say, “O Lord, I prevented him from his food and physical desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/174. Al-Haythami classed its isnaad as hasan in al-Majma’, 3/181. See also Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/411). The smell that comes from the mouth of a fasting person is better with Allaah than the scent of musk. (Muslim, 2/807). Fasting is a protection and a strong fortress that keeps a person safe from the Fire. (Reported by Ahmad, 2/402; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/411; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3880). Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will remove his face seventy years’ distance from the Fire. (Reported by Muslim, 2/808). Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure of Allaah, if that is the last day of his life, he will enter Paradise. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/391; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/412). “In Paradise there is a gate called al-Rayyaan, through those who fast will enter, and no one will enter it except them; when they have entered it will be locked, and no-one else will enter through it.” (al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 1797).

Ramadaan is a pillar of Islam; the Qur’aan was revealed in this month, and in it there is a night that is better than a thousand months. “When Ramadaan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are put in chains.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 3277). Fasting Ramadaan is equivalent to fasting ten months (See Musnad Ahmad, 5/280; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/421). “Whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and with the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 37). At the breaking of every fast, Allaah will choose people to free from Hellfire. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/256; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/419).

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About...

Stranger, striving on the path of Islaam. Searching for the haqq, in a world full of baatil.